Those 19 years
by canoli
Summary: The 19 years that they skip in the deathly hallows book.
1. Chapter 1

Those 19 years

**AN- I own none of the chararcters**

**this is my first fanfic, so please read and review**

Dumbledore smiled at this, while Ron said "Here Here" and Hermione just thought to herself. Harry seemed to be doing the same. He had faced Voldemort seven times, and he had ended up alive. He thought back to all of the trouble he had gone through. Sure he was happy now that Voldemort was gone, but he was still sad for all of the lives that were lost on the way. His parents, Sirius, Fred, Tonks, Lupin, Mad Eye Moody, Dobby, Hedwig, Dumbledore, and Snape were just a few of the many.

He was pulled out of his reverie when Hermione tapped him on the shoulder. He was needed downstairs. Kingsley had wanted to talk to him. Harry didn't want to go downstairs though. He didn't want to see the bodies piled in the corner. He wanted to get away from all of the people calling his name. He wanted to be alone. His life felt empty to him now. He had spent the last seven years trying to avenge his parents, and now that he finally had he didn't know what to do. Normalcy had never been part of his lifestyle.

Slowly he followed Hermione and Ron down to the great hall. He ignored the cheering as he walked in and went to talk to Kingsley, who was sitting near the front of the hall talking to Professor McGonagall. He walked up and tapped Kingsley on the shoulder.

Kingsley turned around and gave out a great smile. And he said, "Harry, I'd like to thank you. I don't know what you have been doing this past year, but I know whatever it was worked. I know you must be excited to know that he is gone, and you probably want to go home now, but there is some business that needs to be taken care of. The Dursleys need to get back home. I think it would be best if you were the one to get them situated back at their home. They will need to be informed of what happened."

"Uhh, Kingsley, I don't think that they are going to want to know what happened, I mean, they have never wanted to know anything about my life. They probably will be ashamed that I am not dead."

Kingsley grimaced bus said, "Even so, Dedalus and Hestia want you to be the one to tell them what happened. They probably haven't even heard the news yet. They have been well hidden. You need to at least spend a few weeks with them. I know it is not my place to tell you this, but they really need to be informed about why they had to go into hiding. And, you probably want to get away from all of the publicity."

Harry smiled at this, Kingsley had one thing right. He hated being the center of everyone's attention. He knew that he had to deal with the Dursleys. As unfortunate as that made him feel. At least he didn't have to stay there for a full summer; a couple of weeks at most. Maybe Ron and Hermione could come with him. They needed a break just as much as he did. They were sure to be questioned just like him. He decided to ask Kingsley if that was a possibility.

"Umm Kingsley, would it be possible if Ron and Hermione came with me to the Dursleys', we all need to get away after our journey, and plus I really don't want to stay alone with them? Also, since they know that I am a wizard, am I allowed to use magic around them?"

Kingsley laughed at this, but he told Harry that using magic around the Dursleys was fine as long as he didn't use it against them, but he would have to ask Ron and Hermione if they wanted to come. Harry smiled back at Kingsley and made his way over to the Weasleys. He sat down between Ron and Mrs. Weasley who gave him a big tear filled hug.

He immediately felt horrible. The memory of Fred was stuck in his mind, and he couldn't bear to think about it. He felt guilty for Fred's death. Mrs. Weasley seemed to understand what he was feeling, and she quietly said, "We don't blame you, you know. He was brave, and he wanted to fight. He wanted You-Know-Who gone. We all did. And now he is, all thanks to you."

Harry saw the tears falling out of her eyes, and soon noticed that he had matching tears. He quickly cleaned up his face and said, "It wasn't all me. Everyone here helped. Lots of people helped bring him down. I was just the one who finally did."

Mrs. Weasley smiled at this and said, "thank you Harry."

Harry sat there for a while, but soon he began to notice the amount of eyes on him. He always felt uneasy with all of the people looking at him, and he knew that Kingsley was right. He had to get out of there. He had to get out of the wizarding world for a few weeks. He needed to calm down and think.

He slowly got up, and walked out the doors of the great hall and onto the Hogwarts grounds. He walked over to the lake and sat down under the trees. About ten minutes later he heard the anticipated footsteps. Ron and Hermione were joining him. He smiled to himself. Even after all they had been through, they were still there for each other. He knew that they would come to number 4 Privet Drive with him, but he still had to ask.

Hermione was the first to speak, "How-"but Harry cut her off. "I'll tell you all everything, but first there is something that I have to do, and I was wondering if you guys would come with me. I need to get the Dursleys. As much as I hate to do it, I do need to spend a couple of weeks there, and explain to them the past few years of my life. It really would be better for everyone if we left them in hiding for the next twenty years, but I don't think that I could give Dedalus and Hestia that much trouble. Plus, Kingsley said that since they already know about magic we are allowed to use it around them. "

Ron started to crack up at this. The plans for scaring the Dursleys out of their minds were visible in his mind. Harry smiled at his expression, but continued to look at them expectantly. Finally Ron stopped laughing and said, "I don't know about Hermione, but I would love to come put those muggles in their place, they've gotten away with abusing you all their lives. Now it's your turn."

Hermione glared at Ron and replied, "I would love to come Harry, but I don't think torturing your Family is a good idea. That wouldn't make us much different than Voldemort, and we just risked the past few years defeating him. What would people say Harry Potter was crowned the next muggle torturer?

Harry couldn't help but laugh at this. Then he began walking back to the castle with Ron and Hermione. They quickly told the Weasleys that they had to leave for a couple of weeks. Mrs. Weasley was not very excited about this. Harry could tell that she wanted to make up for her lost time with them by force feeding the threesome until they blew. They all looked considerably thinner. After all they hadn't exactly had many full meals lately.

Harry could tell what was going on through her mind and quickly said, "Don't worry Mrs. Weasley, trust me, we won't have any problems at the Dursleys' house." This caused George to laugh for the first time since his twin's death. The laugh reminded Harry of Fred, and he along with the others became very quiet.

Harry knew that he had to leave soon, but he also knew that there was one thing he had to do before he left. Firstly, he had to talk to Ginny. He motioned for her to follow him, and he walked back out to the lake; Ginny right next to him. When they arrived at the lake, Ginny had that look on her face. It was her determined look. Harry was immediately blown away. She always looked beautiful like that. Before he could even get a word out of his mouth, she was in his arms. And they were kissing like they had on Harry's 17th birthday. It was so passionate, and wonderful. Harry felt like it was worth defeating Voldemort 100 times for this feeling. He felt complete. He loved every minute.

He put his hand through her long red hair. It was so silky and smooth to him, and he loved the feel and smell of it. She smelled so flowery and wonderful. His other hand was around her waist, and he was lost in the moment. It was wonderful to him. Then he felt her hands rush into her hair, and it felt amazing. It was better than it had been that one time, because now it could be like this forever, and he didn't have to leave. Well, he only had to leave for a little while.

Too soon for Harry they had to break apart to breath. He was gasping for breath as he smiled down at Ginny. She was gazing right back up at him. Love in her eyes. She looked beautiful to Harry.

"I love you" he whispered.

"I always have" she replied.

Harry smiled to himself. He knew that in two weeks he would be back to Ginny. He would be able to kiss her whenever he wanted. They continued their embrace, just standing there, holding each other. They were comforting and calming each other with just their presence.

Harry smiled to himself. This was what he had been waiting for. This was what he wanted.

"Harry, come on, are we going or not?" Ron yelled.

Harry and Ginny groaned. Ron had always been a little tactless. With one final peck, Harry walked back to Ron and Hermione. Ron was glaring at him, but Hermione had a smug look on her face. Harry couldn't help but smile to himself. All he could think about was Ginny's lips, her hair, and her body, on his body…

"Oi mate, are we going or not?" asked an irritated Ron.

"We're going come on, the sooner we get to them, the sooner we get to get on with our lives." Harry replied. Harry knew the location of the Dursleys. They were hiding out with Dedalus and Hestia at the same house that Harry had escaped to with the Dursleys when he was running from the mysterious letters. Harry chuckled to himself remembering the horrible conditions of the shack. It was hard to picture Aunt Petunia living there for over a night. Unfortunately, the conditions were probably a lot better than they had been that night because of the ability to use magic. It was even funnier to try to picture Dudley living without a TV. This thought made Harry burst out laughing. Ron and Hermione turned to look at him quizzically, but Harry just shook his head.

When the threesome left the Hogwarts' grounds they apparated to the house on the shore.

Harry once again felt as if he was being stuffed into a tube. His ears popped, and he saw only black. He could feel the hands of Ron and Hermione in both of his. They had held onto Harry, because they had no clue as to where this place was.

They arrived with a loud CRACK, and they heard the shrill screams of the Dursleys. Harry smiled at the idea of scaring them. It made him feel good to know that he was now a threat to them. Harry looked around the room, and noticed significant remodels since his previous stay. It looked like the Dursleys had not been living a tough life for the past year after all. This only slightly brought down Harry's mood. As he turned around, he saw the Dursleys cowering in the corner. Harry guessed that they had never seen a witch or wizard apparated before. Harry laughed to himself; these two weeks were going to be filled with things the Dursleys had never seen.

Dedalus and Harry quickly ran into the room, faces contorted in fear. When they saw Harry, they immediately relaxed their features. In fact, their faces broke into large grins. Dedalus looked like he was about to speak, but Harry seemed to notice it and just nodded.

Sooner than it seemed possible he was being embraced by the tiny man. Hestia soon joined him sobbing into Harry's chest with tears of joy.

"We were listening on Potterwatch, but the last thing that we heard was that you broke out of Gringotts on a dragon. Is that true? We were amazed. But where did you go from there, and why did you have to go there? What have you been doing all this time, hidden away from everyone? Surely it was something important? How did you kill him? How did you know where he was going to be? What happened?" babbled Dedalus

"Wait just one minute; you killed this Voldymots guy, the one that's been killing for years, the one that killed your parents? " Uncle Vernon asked.

Harry just nodded. He was amazed that Uncle Vernon had even talked to him. He along with the rest of his family still looked like pigs hiding from the butcher. It was quite a funny sight.

Harry looked back over to Dedalus and Hestia. They were sitting in the corner trying to give the family some recuperation time. Harry smiled over at them and said, "Thank you for all that you have done. I can't thank you enough for putting up with these three. It must have been a tough year for you. But now it is my turn. Kingsley told me that I have to be the one to explain, plus I need to get away from the wizarding world for a while."

Dedalus and Hestia thanked him once again, then they disapparated. Apparently they wanted to be as far away from the Dursleys as wizardly possible. Harry smiled to himself; he couldn't wait for his two weeks to be up. He wanted to get away also. He wanted to get back to Ginny.

But now he had to get the Dursleys back home. He couldn't wait to see their faces when they found out that they would be apparating.

"Um Harry," his cousin Dudley voiced, "Who are these people?"

"Oh right, um, this is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. You have probably heard of them on Potterwatch, they have spent the past year helping me defeat Voldemort."

"Wait, you're the one who called a while back. The one with the screaming voice, and it was your family who ruined our fireplace." Uncle Vernon stated while pointing a shaky finger at Ron.

Ron just laughed and said, "Um yeah, that was me."

Harry interrupted the possible Dursley freak-out, by saying, "We are here to take you guys home, would you like to go or not?"

The Dursleys just nodded. Apparently the conditions of the house were not up to Dursley standards. Even after the repairs that Dedalus and Hestia had made.

That's when Aunt Petunia asked the all important question, "How exactly will we be traveling?"

It was Hermione who answered this question, "We will be apparating of course. Um, who would like to come with me? One of you can come with each of us. You will need to hold onto our arms very tight for the entire time. It will only take a few seconds, but I recommend that you take a breath before you go."

The Dursleys just stared at her like she was speaking gibberish. But finally, Dudley walked up to Harry and bravely held onto his arm. Seeing their son's bravery, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon got up and walked up to Ron and Hermione. Aunt Petunia seemed to feel safer with Hermione since she was the other girl. Uncle Vernon grumbled to himself as he walked over to Ron. But he stopped halfway there, and said, "How will our stuff make it back home, it's not like we can carry all of that stuff?"

Hermione smiled, and then she replied, "That will be simple Mr. Dursley." Then she took out her wand, causing some wary glares her way. She waved her wand once, and all of the belongings in the house disappeared. The Dursleys glared at the empty spaces with surprise. But it was Dudley who finally asked the question, "Where did my stuff go?"

Hermione just laughed and said,"Well back to your house of course, where do you think I would put it, the Leaky Cauldron?"

This seemed to confuse the Dursleys even more, but they decided that they would rather not know, so instead, they bravely gripped the threesome's forearms.

Hermione was the first to go. She quickly turned into space, taking Aunt Petunia with her. Ron quickly followed her, but Dudley stopped Harry from going. He said, "Harry, I want to thank you for thinking of us. I know that we haven't always been nice to you, and we don't deserve this."

Harry didn't really know how to reply, so he just said, "Thanks Dud." Then he turned into space and felt the crushing feeling in his lungs, but before he really needed to breathe he was back in the living room of the house that he never wanted to see again. Ron, Hermione, Aunt Petunia, and Uncle Vernon were all there as well. The Dursleys seemed to be in shock. But they soon snapped out of it when they noticed that they were back in their own home.

Dudley immediately rushed to the TV and turned it on. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon both crashed on the couch next to him trying to forget the past minute. Harry decided that he would rather not be in the room with the three of them for the time being, so he decided to take Ron and Hermione up to his old room.

When he opened the door, he was not surprised to see that it hadn't changed one bit. There was still the one bed with the blue blanket. He still had his old alarm clock he had repaired himself awhile back, and the stand for Hedwig's cage still stood there empty. The sight made Harry cry. His one friend who had endured the Dursleys was gone. He quickly wiped off the tears, and noticed how dirty his room was. There were books and old school stuff all over the place from the day he had cleaned out his old trunk. The trunk was sitting open in the corner of the room. The closet was open displaying some of his old clothes, which happened to be Dudley's old clothes.

Hermione scowled at the room. She quickly took out her wand and placed all of Harry's old school stuff in to his open trunk, and she closed the trunk. She quickly made the bed, and she tidied up the rest of the room.

Ron stared around the room. This made Harry a little nervous. Just like Ron had been when he showed Harry his room for the first time. But Ron just smiled and said, "A house, we are finally staying in a house!" and he collapsed onto Harry's old bed.

Ron fell asleep almost instantly. He hadn't slept since the last night at Shell Cottage. It seemed like forever ago. In reality it had only been about two and a half days, but that was a lot of time to go without sleep.

Harry and Hermione decided that a quick nap was a good idea, even though it was only one in the afternoon. They quickly conjured up cots for themselves, and the fell into a deep slumber.

As Harry slept, he dreamt about the previous night. He saw all the bodies, and the red eyes of Voldemort. Then Nagini began to climb up his leg, and she bit him on the shoulder. Harry woke up panting to find Ron and Hermione sitting on the sides of his bed. They were looking at him worriedly, but not surprised.

Harry got up and put his glasses on. He felt a little ashamed. He knew that these dreams would haunt him. But he didn't want the whole house to know that he had been afraid. Ron seemed to recognize what was going through his mind, so he just opened the door and began to walk downstairs. Harry was thankful for that. He quickly looked over at his clock, and realized that it was six in the morning. He had slept for seventeen hours straight. Now he was hungry. Harry and Hermione followed Ron down the stairs. They all went to the kitchen. Ron was looking warily at all the appliances. He had never seen many of them.

Hermione quickly walked over to the fridge and looked inside of it. It looked as if the Dursleys had not wasted any time going to the grocery store. There were fresh eggs and bacon sitting on one of the shelves. Hermione, being the best cook out of the three quickly took them out and began to cook. All three of them were very hungry. They hadn't eaten since the morning before, in the great hall. As the eggs were frying and the bacon sizzling. Dudley walked down with a hungry look in his eyes. He nervously asked if there was enough for him. Hermione immediately pointed her wand at the cooking food and doubled it.

When the food was ready, Dudley seemed a little nervous, but he sat down with the threesome, and he ate his food.

Ron seemed to think that now was the best time to bring up the topic of Ginny. Apparently he had seen their little moment by the lake, and by the looks of it he was not extremely happy.

Ron said, "I know this war is over, but I saw what you did with my sister yesterday Harry, You better not be leading her on. She loves you ya know. She has for the past seven years mate. You'll break her heart if you just leave her now. She won't be able to take it. She thinks that you're gonna get back together because he's gone.-"

He was going to continue, but Harry interrupted, "Ron, I love her too mate, how could you think that I would lead her on like that. I was willing to fight Bellatrix instead of Voldemort to save her. Had your mom not gotten to her first I would have yanked off the cloak and killed her myself. She is the most important thing to me Ron. I'm in love with her, so you're just going to have to get used to it."

"As long as you don't snog her like that in front of me mate. There is only so much I can watch you do to my sister." He said with a slight smile.

"Hey that goes for you too." Harry said pointing at Ron and Hermione.

They blushed a little bit, and Hermione quickly tried to change the subject by talking to Dudley. But, Dudley's jaw had dropped after the previous conversation. He didn't seem capable of talking, so the rest of breakfast went by in silence.

It was funny to see Dudley being nice. Harry quickly remembered his last summer he had spent there. Dudley seemed to respect, maybe even like, Harry after he had saved him from the dementors. He even seemed slightly interested in all of the magic that the threesome were doing. They used magic to clean up the mess that they made.

Harry knew that he had to explain his past few years at Hogwarts to the Dursleys, but they didn't want to hear it that day. Mr. Dursley said that he really had to get back to work. He didn't know how he was going to explain his year of absence. Aunt Petunia thought of a great story. They had spent the last year in Italy, so that Dudley could have a year abroad before his senior year of high school. It seemed really foolproof to them. Everyone knew that they would give Dudley anything, and they also knew that they wouldn't want Dudley in a foreign country all alone.

Aunt Petunia stated that she had to go to London to get some things for the house. She wanted Dudley to come with her, because she didn't want him alone in the house with three wizards. But Harry decided that he wanted to come as well. He wanted to go to Diagon Alley. He wanted to get a new owl so that he could write to Ginny. No owl could ever replace Hedwig, but he still needed one.

Aunt Petunia was slightly annoyed that the threesome wanted to come with her, but she was not going to be the one to deny three wizards anything that they wanted.

When they got to London, Aunt Petunia decided that she was going to go buy some new things for the house first.

Harry walked up to his aunt and said, "We are going to go to our part of town."

Aunt Petunia looked shocked to find out that there was a wizarding part of London, but Dudley, who had overheard the conversation, was in awe. It was funny the change of heart he had towards magic. He begged his aunt to let him come with Harry. Harry found it quite odd, but was willing to take him.

Aunt Petunia, unwilling to deny anything to her Duddykins consented, as long as they were back to the car in seven hours. Dudley looked happy. He had never really had freedom from his parents, unless he counted the times where he snuck out.

Hermione and Ron stared nervously at Dudley, but they continued on their way to the Leaky Cauldron. When they arrived there Dudley looked really nervous. He of course could not see this building, and he was a little freaked. Harry just pulled him through the entrance. Immediately after he entered the doors, a burst of applause erupted. He had forgotten that this would be the reaction. Apparently everyone had heard of the defeat of Voldemort.

Harry tried to get through the room, but was attacked by hugs and people trying to shake his hand. The bar tender Tom came up to him, black teeth and all. He especially seemed to make Dudley nervous, but all he did was give them butterbeers on the house.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry immediately drank theirs, but Dudley was a little hesitant. He still seemed to remember his last introduction to wizarding food. It had swollen his tongue to be about five feet long. But when he saw that the other three had eagerly taken sips of their drinks, he complied. Harry noticed that he had a happy look covering his face.

After about thirty minutes of congratulations, the foursome was able to get out the back door. Dudley looked confused at first, but then Harry tapped the appropriate bricks, and the look on his face changed to awe.

As Diagon Alley came into view Harry felt relief to be back in the wizarding world. As much as he wanted to escape the attention, he missed the feeling of being home. The wizarding world was truly his home.

That's when Harry saw the white tower of Gringotts. Harry knew that he had to get money, but he was not sure that he would be allowed in. After all he had only robbed it about three days ago. He looked over towards Ron and Hermione, and they seemed to have the same thing on their mind. They were also looking up at Gringotts in horror. The patch in the roof was still visible.

"We have to go in there you know" Harry said.

"I know mate, I'm just not looking forward to the wrath of the goblins." Replied Ron.

"G-G-Goblins, why w-w-would you be afraid of the goblins?" asked Dudley. "I mean, what exactly did you do to get on the bad side of the goblins?"

"We robbed Gringotts, the wizarding bank, run by goblins." Hermione replied simplistically.

"You finally get tired of being poor, huh Harry?" Dudley countered, fear still in his voice.

Ron just laughed at this, he was cracking up, Dudley didn't seem to notice why, but Harry was about to have his own laugh, when Dudley saw the contents of his vault; if he ever got there. He was a little nervous as the foursome made their way up to the entrance of Gringotts. Harry noticed that the people with the probes were gone. The bank must have been put back in command of goblins. When they entered through the silver and gold doors Dudley just looked around in awe. That is until he saw the goblins. Their wrinkly faces were scowling over at Harry. They had a very unpleasant look on their faces.

Luckily they let the foursome walk up to the counter. When they sheepishly looked up at the goblin sitting behind the counter they noticed that it was Griphook. He smiled at them.

"Um, hello Griphook, how is that sword treating you?" Harry asked sheepishly.

"Quite well thank you" replied Griphook. "How may I help you today Harry Potter? I am quite surprised that you decided to come back here so soon. You have caused us a lot of misfortune here."

"If I am not mistaken, you helped to cause that misfortune, as you put it" countered Hermione.

Griphook just kept on smiling, and Harry replied, "I need to get to my vault; I need a little bit of money."

"Follow me then Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley, and you" said Griphook.

They followed him to a trolley, and they began to descend through the many tunnels underneath Gringotts. It was a rather quick ride, and by the end of it Dudley looked like he would soon barf. That was until they got to Harry's vault.

"Key please, Mr. Potter" commanded Griphook. Harry handed over his small brass key. Dudley looked a little suspicious. He never believed that Harry had any money. But when the vault was opened, Dudley was not the only one who was surprised. Harry's money seemed to have tripled. He knew Sirius had given him money, but he never knew that it had been this much. It was unbelievable. He quickly put some into a pouch, and the foursome returned to the main floor.

When they left all Dudley could say was, "Wow Harry that was some bank job you guys pulled."

"You idiot, we didn't steal ay money, we stole a piece of Voldemort's soul to destroy it. The money came from my parents and my godfather." Harry retorted.

"His soul?" Dudley asked frightened.

"We shall explain it later, Kingsley made me promise to explain everything to you later. Today I just want to relax. I haven't been out in the world for over a year." Harry replied.

As the foursome walked through Diagon Alley, applause and stares followed him wherever he went. People constantly walked up to shake his hand and personally congratulate him. Some of them even shook Ron or Hermione's hands. A few of them even praised Dudley for just being with Harry. It was almost comical. Harry thought that he had gotten enough stares before, but this was over the top. He was surprised that so many people were out shopping. After all, Voldemort had only been gone for about three days. But he figured that everyone wanted to get out of their houses after being cooped up in them for the past year.

When they finally made it to the Magical Menagerie, Harry began to look for a new owl. There were quite a few choices. He saw a pretty brown one, but it didn't look like it was just right. After about fifteen minutes of searching, Harry found a large black owl towards the back of the shop. It was jet black, just like his hair. It seemed very sweet, and it liked to be petted. Harry bought her for 16 galleons, and he named her Sirius, even though that was a boy's name.

They left the Magical Menagerie, and they soon entered Quality Quidditch Supplies. Harry really missed his old firebolt. After he had dropped it on the night where he left Privet Drive, he had been waiting to buy a new one.

After buying his broom, they decided to go see if George had returned to his shop yet. As they neared the entrance they saw a large sign that said, "Defeat of Dark Lord Sale!! Everything half off"

"Apparently he has been back to his store, probably eager to get business back up." Ron stated.

"Oh Dudley, it's a good idea not to eat anything here. You'll recognize George when you see him." Harry said.

As they walked into the store Harry was immediately bombarded with a red head. Before he could even say anything she had kissed him full on the lips. Harry recognized it was Ginny immediately. They finally broke apart when Ron yelled, "Oi, what did I tell you about snogging her in front of me?" Harry looked a little bit sheepish, but George was cracking up. Hermione was trying to stifle her giggles, and Dudley was just standing there with his mouth wide open. Harry couldn't tell if he was staring at him and Ginny, or if he was staring at the shop full of gadgets and whirling objects. There were a couple of wolf whistles heard throughout the store, but they were quieted when Ron glared at them.

That's when George noticed Dudley standing there. "Oh, hello there Big D, how's the tongue. Could I interest you in some of these tarts over here? They are lemon flavored, and oh so good."

Dudley just closed his mouth and shook his head in fear.

Harry decided to follow Ginny back to the back room.

"What are you doing here anyway? I thought you would be cooped up with your mum." Harry said.

"I told her I wanted to help George" she stated. "After all, this is the first day of work without Fred." This quieted both of them down for a few minutes. It was Ginny who finally broke the ice, "How did you manage to get to Diagon Alley anyway, and why is your muggle cousin with you? Isn't he afraid of magic?"

Harry just laughed then replied, "My aunt had to come to London, and we didn't want to stay in her house alone, plus I wanted to see how the wizarding world was doing. I haven't actually been out in the wizarding world for about two years. And Dudley wanted to come with us. Living with Dedalus and Hestia must have given him a new feel on magic."

Ginny just laughed. She looked beautiful to Harry when she was laughing. He couldn't help himself, and soon she was in his arms, and they were snogging like crazy. His hands were in her hair, and around her waist. She felt so good to him. Her body pressed against his body. When they broke apart to breathe, he began to kiss down her jaw and neck. That is until the light came on and George walked in.

"Oh, wait till everyone hears about this. Famous Harry Potter made out in my back room. Maybe I should make it an exhibit and charge people a galleon to see Harry snog my little sister." George joked.

They hurried out of the back room quickly in order to get out of the line of fire from more George jokes.

They soon decided to go get some lunch. Ginny decided to accompany the foursome to the Leaky Cauldron for some lunch. They sat in a private room to avoid all of the people. Harry seemed to be even more popular now that he had actually fulfilled the prophecy.

When they sat down Ginny immediately turned to Ginny and said, "So you're the girl my cousin was dreaming about last night?"

The butterbeer that Harry had been about to swallow was suddenly all over the table. "How did you know I was dreaming about Ginny last night?" The whole table began to laugh, except for Ron, who was glaring suspiciously at Harry.

"We don't all fall asleep at one in the afternoon. When I came to ask you if you wanted any dinner all I heard was 'Ginny, I miss you Ginny, two weeks Ginny', and some other stuff that I probably shouldn't mention around her and her brother," Dudley smirked.

Harry immediately dropped his gaze and began to look at his trainers. He didn't have to look at Ron to know that he was thinking of killing him. Both of the girls and Dudley were cracking up.

When it was time to get back to the car Harry quickly kissed Ginny when he thought no one was looking. He knew he was wrong by the glares from Ron, but he didn't care. They made their way back to Aunt Petunia's car. She was standing there looking extremely nervous. It was obvious that she didn't want Dudley to be in a place full of wizards.

The drive back was very quiet. Aunt Petunia had made it very clear that she didn't want to hear about their day, and she didn't feel like talking about hers, so they sat in silence.

When they arrived back at the house they went inside, and Harry began to think about how he would tell the Dursleys what had been happening in the wizarding world.


	2. a story to remember

**I own nothing**

Chapter 2

It was Friday night, and he knew that Uncle Vernon didn't have work the next day. He spent Saturdays with his family. Harry had been staying at the Dursleys' house for almost three days now. He knew that if he ever wanted to get home he would have to tell them soon. He didn't know how they were going to take it, but he knew he had backup in case things became rough.

Most of the time spent at Privet Drive had been spent in Harry's old room. He didn't really want to be with the rest of the family. They still glared at him with hate, but now there was some fear mixed in. Harry was still asked to make dinner, and clean the house, and do the chores, but now the tasks were simple since he had his magic.

It was now 3:00 am. Harry had talked to Ron and Hermione about talking to the Dursleys about his life. They were still surprised that the Dursleys knew nothing. They had been somewhat hostel towards them. Harry was nervous. Tomorrow was going to be a moment of truth. He hadn't even told Ron and Hermione everything that had happened during the battle. It was still very painful. He didn't want to talk about it, but he knew that he had too. He would never be able to get over it if he never got it out of his system.

He finally drifted off to sleep at around 4 in the morning. It was a very restless sleep filled with nightmares of the final battle. He kept seeing Fred, crushed by the debris. Then he saw the bodies of Lupin and Tonks. He still didn't know what he was going to do about Teddy. He knew that his grandmother Andromeda wanted to raise him, but he wanted to be a big part of his life as well. Now was probably not the best time for him to be raising a child though. He was still very young himself.

When it was finally morning, Harry woke up. It was still rather early. He looked over at his clock and saw that it was 7:00 am. He was the only one in the house that was awake. He looked over towards Ron and Hermione, and he noticed that they had pushed their beds together, and they were holding each other. It made him slightly sad. He felt like the odd man out almost. He missed Ginny. He couldn't wait to get back to the burrow to see her. That was another reason why he wanted to tell the Dursleys soon.

At 7:15 he walked down the stairs, and began to make some tea. He needed to calm himself down. Pretty soon Ron and Hermione joined him. They were holding hands and looking very happy. They grabbed themselves some tea, and sat down with Harry at the kitchen table, and began to think about the task ahead of them. The sat pretty much in silence. Ron ad Hermione were holding hands under the table. Every once and a while they would whisper a few words, but Harry didn't notice this very much; he was too busy thinking about his conversation.

About an hour later Dudley walked downstairs. He grabbed some of the tea that Harry had made, and he took a dough nut from the box on the counter. He sat down on the couch and began to watch some morning TV.

Pretty soon Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon walked down the stairs. They told Harry to make them some coffee. Harry waved his wand, and the coffee began to make itself. They were a little shocked. Well little was an understatement, but the decided that they weren't going to yell at Harry. They didn't want to become bats or something.

When their coffee was done, they took it, and went to sit with Dudley in the living room.

Harry decided that it was now or never. Everyone was in the house, and they all seemed to be relatively content. The threesome got up and walked into the living room. The three Dursleys looked up, and Uncle Vernon was the first to speak. He said, "Boy, I thought you were of age. What the hell are you still doing here? We don't need you freaks messing up our lives. You already did that for us for the past 7 years. You can leave now."

Harry had thought that this would be coming, and he had prepared his response. He replied, "Actually Uncle Vernon, there is something that I must do before I leave. I have been instructed to tell you why you have had to do all these things to deal with the magical world. As much as I know that you do not want to hear it. I cannot leave until I have told you my story. I was planning on telling you today so that I could get out of here as soon as possible. You really have no choice in the matter. If you don't want to listen, I will just strap you to your seat, and place silencing charms on you until I am done."

The Dursleys were staring at him with wide fearful eyes. They did not want to be subjected to Harry's magic, and Harry knew it.

Uncle Vernon made some grunting noises, and his face turned slightly purple, but he seemed to accept his fate. Aunt Petunia turned white, and she began to shake a little bit. Her long neck stretched out, and the tendons pulsed, but she sat quietly. Dudley on the other hand looked slightly ambivalent. He knew that his parents didn't want him to know about the wizarding world, but he seemed to be very excited.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was happy that he was finally getting to tell his story. The first thing he said was, "I am going to start with what happened about 17 years ago." Petunia let out a small gasp, but listened all the same. Harry told the Dursleys how his family had been hunted down because of the prophecy. He shared the prophecy with him, and he talked about why he had been targeted. He told them how Voldemort had come after him, and how he had tried to kill Harry, and how Harry had "defeated" Voldemort.

Dudley looked slightly shocked that his cousin had endured all of this before he was one year old. Harry skipped ahead to his first trip to Diagon Alley. He told them that he had discovered that he was famous, and that he was rich. Uncle Vernon jumped in at this point. He said, "We cared for you and paid for you, and you are rich? We should be getting some of the money from this bank of yours." Harry just stared at him, and then said, "Had you actually purchased me anything, then I would gladly pay you back, but you gave me all of Dudley's leftovers." He gave Uncle Vernon a final glare, and then continued to explain his first year at Hogwarts.

Harry talked about everything that had happened that first year. It was obvious that he wanted to show him that contrary to their belief, he was important; every once and a while Ron and Hermione would pipe in, and explain things as well.

He explained what Quidditch was, and he talked about all of his classes. He told them about Professor Snape. When he mentioned his name, he saw Aunt Petunia go rigid. She seemed to be pleased that Harry hated him though. He talked about the troll, and about his time under the trapped door.

It took him a few hours to recount his first year, and by the time he finished it was time for lunch. Harry summoned some sandwiches and juice from the kitchen, and he began to talk about his second year.

He talked about Dobby, and about being locked out of platform nine and three quarters. He talked about all of the weird voices that he had heard, and about Professor Lockhart, and the night that he had learned that he could talk to snakes. Dudley seemed to remember the time at the zoo at that point, and he said, "like that big one. The one we met when we were kids." Harry just nodded and continued talking about how people had been paralyzed. He told them that Hermione was one of them, and all of the Dursleys looked at her with fear at that point.

Harry talked about the diary, and the polyjuice potion. And he finally told everyone about the Chamber of Secrets. He told them that he had fought part of Voldemort, and a giant basilisk, and how he had saved Ginny. Dudley smiled at this and said, "So that's how you won her heart, Eh." Uncle Vernon looked at him in shock, wondering how Dudley could possibly know this information. But Harry just continued with his story.

When he got to his third year, he told about Sirius, and how he was thought to be a criminal. He told everyone about his first encounter with the dementors. He told how he could hear his mother's murder when the dementors attacked. Dudley and Aunt Petunia blanched at that fact. He told how he had learned to produce a Patronus. Ron convinced Harry to show everyone his Patronus, and he eventually did. Dudley looked at it in awe, whereas the other Dursleys seemed scared of it. They were quite surprised to learn that Harry was actually smart enough to create magic that even full grown wizards couldn't to produce.

Harry talked about Sirius. It was a little bit hard for him, but he was able to do it. He told them how he had rescued Sirius, and all about the time-turners. The Dursleys seemed appalled at the idea that wizards could control time. He talked about Hogsmeade, and the map of Hogwarts, the animagi, and Wormtail.

By this point Uncle Vernon was the only one who was not even slightly interested in what Harry was saying. He still looked disappointed that Harry hadn't died during all of his tasks. Aunt Petunia seemed to be trying to hide her interest, but Dudley seemed altogether shocked that his cousin had endured all of this. He also seemed very interested, and wanted to hear more.

Harry began to explain everything about his fourth year after that. He started with the Quidditch World Cup, and he talked about how the Death Eaters and the Dark Mark. He then described his year at Hogwarts. He told everyone about how had been entered into the Triwizard Tournament. He talked about how everyone seemed to think of him as an attention seeking prat for entering. Uncle Vernon seemed to like that. Then he described how he had beaten his dragon and gained back his respect. He talked about all of the tasks, and the dark conversations between Snape and Karkarof. Every time Harry mentioned Snape's name, Aunt Petunia would freeze up. Harry couldn't wait to tell everyone the memories of Snape and Aunt Petunia.

When he got to the final task, even Uncle Vernon had to try not to seem interested. But the look in his eyes showed that he wanted to know more. Even if he hated the wizarding world, he liked hearing stories about Harry getting hurt. When he told them about the graveyard, Dudley seemed sick when he learned that he had taunted Harry about Cedric, and how Cedric had been killed. He told how Voldemort had been reborn, and how they had dueled. They were surprised that Harry had been able to get away. He talked about Professor Moody being an imposter and about his last few nights at Hogwarts.

When he finished talking about his fourth year, it was already 10:00 pm, and he told everyone that he would finish his story the next day. Then he, Ron, and Hermione walked up to Harry's room.

Harry was mentally tired after telling half of his story. It had taken a lot of perseverance to continue talking about his life. He had felt like he was being interviewed. It had been surprising to see the looks on the Dursleys' faces; Uncle Vernon especially. It had looked like he was starting to get interested in Harry's life.

Harry soon drifted off to sleep. He dreamed that Uncle Vernon was begging to be a wizard. He had found a way into Diagon Alley, and was begging wizards to turn him into one.

When he woke up it was 8:30 am. He walked downstairs to get some breakfast; he found a plate waiting for him and all of the Dursleys waiting in the living room with Ron and Hermione. Uncle Vernon seemed to be sitting there rather grudgingly, but the other two seemed honestly interested. Harry walked back over to the chair he had sat in the day before, and began to explain his fifth year at Hogwarts.

He started with the lack of information, and the dementors. The Dursleys became frightened at the mention of the dementors. Then he talked about the Order of the Phoenix, and 12 Grimmald Place. He talked about going back to school, and how everyone had hated him. Uncle Vernon smiled wide at this comment. He talked all about seeing into Voldemort's mind, and about Umbridge. He told everyone how he had taught defense against the dark arts to everyone. He showed everyone his scars from Umbrige's pen. When he talked about his trip to the Ministry of Magic the Dursleys shivered. He retold them about the prophecy, and he told them how Sirius had died. He had to take a moment to catch his breath after that. He hated talking about Sirius's death. It made him feel guilty and responsible.

Then he told everyone how Voldemort had tried to posses him. The Dursleys all gasped at this, and tried to scoot away. Harry chuckled, and continued telling them how Voldemort couldn't posses him. He finally finished off his fifth year telling about how the world started to believe him again.

Then he continued on to his sixth year. He explained his lessons with Dumbledore, and his potions book. The Dursleys were surprised that wizards could view each other's memories. It freaked them out a little bit. He talked about being Quidditch captain, and about his girlfriend Ginny. He talked all about Malfoy, and how he had been a death eater. He told them all about horcruxes, and how the diary had been a horcrux. He retold the story of the lake, and the inferi. He talked about Dumbledore's death and about the fight at Hogwarts, and how the horcrux had been a fake.

When he finally got to his seventh year he paused. No one had heard this story yet. He kind of wanted it to remain a secret. But he knew that he had to tell them. He started off by explaining being ambushed at the house; how Mad Eye Moody had died, and how George had lost his ear. At the mention of George Dudley clamped his mouth shut. It had been opened in awe. The idea of seven Harrys had really freaked out the Dursleys. They thought that one was too much.

He continued explaining the preparations for his journey. Aunt Petunia then said, "So you didn't even go to school this past year. What have you been doing?"

Ron cut in and practically yelled, "He's getting to that. Did you ever think that this might be hard for him to do? That maybe this is the first time he has told anyone about this and that you, the people who have always despised him get to be the ones to here it?"

This shut Aunt Petunia up, and Harry continued talking about why he had to make the journey. He talked about Bill and Fleur's wedding, and he told them how they had been followed by death eaters. After talking about breaking into The Ministry of Magic, he told everyone about their camping adventures, and Ron leaving. Ron got very fidgety at that comment. Hermione scowled at him, but Harry just continued talking. It was easier to talk without stopping. If he stopped, he was sure that he would not be able to continue.

He eventually got to Godric's Hollow, and the Nagini. Then he made it to Ron's returning. Ron talked a little bit about how he had returned and saved Harry. Then they talked about going to see Xenophilius Lovegood. They talked about the deathly hallows, and then about Potterwatch.

Dudley started talking at this point. He said, "I heard that. Those two protector wizards were always listening to it. It was kind of funny, I have to admit.

Harry continued, and talked about the Malfoy Manor, and about escaping. Harry's eyes teared up at the mention of Dobby. Then he told them about Shell Cottage, and about robbing Gringotts in order to obtain one of Voldemort's horcruxes. He told them how the threesome had escaped on a dragon, and then he told them about breaking into Hogwarts. He talked about searching for the diadem, and then he told them about the fight in the room of requirement.

After that, he talked about the general battle of Hogwarts, and about Fred's death. Ron began to openly cry at that, and the Dursleys gave him a glance that someone would give a slug. They seemed to have no sympathy that his brother had died, or in the case of Dudley, they wanted Harry to continue his story. He talked about Snape's childhood memories, and Aunt Petunia turned bright red. Harry decided to spare telling Uncle Vernon that Aunt Petunia had wanted to be a wizard. But he gave Aunt Petunia a knowing glance, and she covered her face in her hands. Then Harry talked about going to find Voldemort, and how he had survived. He then told everyone about the final battle.

When he was finished, the entire room was quiet. Nobody moved. It was as if everyone had been subjected to a full body bind. Harry looked at the clock, and saw that it was 5:00 pm, and no one had eaten all day long. He waved his wand, and food came rushing in from the kitchen.

Everyone ate their food in silence. Eventually Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked upstairs. They just looked at each other. They had been through so much. When they put it all together, it seemed like a lot even to them. Eventually they heard a knock on the door, and Dudley cautiously walked in. He seemed very nervous. As if Harry would combust and curse him.

Dudley just stood there for a few minutes, but he finally said, "How did you do it?"

Harry laughed a little, and then replied, "I had no choice in the matter, did I?"

Dudley shook his head and said, "You could have just stayed in hiding, and left everyone to fight him. You could have run away and tried to save yourself."

Harry looked appalled at this thought. He said, "But Dud, then there would be more people like me, more abandoned people. Plus, it was always my job."

Dudley just gaped at him in awe. Finally he murmured, "I had no idea it was like that for you. I always thought I had a bad life because I had to live with you."

Harry just laughed at that. He had once thought living with the Dursleys was the worst thing possible.

Harry had one question for Dudley, "Hey Big D, what did you see when you were attacked by the dementors?'

Dudley blushed a little bit, but then he began to talk. He said, "I saw a few things. Most of them were me beating everyone up. I realized how horrible I was. It made me change my ways. In some ways I am slightly thankful to them. But I am mostly thankful to you. I know that I wouldn't have tried to save you. I hated you back then, and I don't think that I would have the courage to try to save someone besides myself. I would never be able to be like you, and give my life willingly for others."

Harry shrugged.

Then Dudley asked another question, "How did it feel to be crucioed?"

Harry grimaced, and then said, "Like a million burning needles puncturing me all over, combined with the feeling of being stung by bees all over my body. It is one of the most painful things that I have endured, but I guess it was worth it."

Dudley just continued to stare at him with a horrified look on his face. He couldn't seem to comprehend what the curse felt like.

Dudley finally asked, "What was it like seeing all of them again. When the stone made them come back?"

This question caught Harry off guard. He began to tear up, but then he said, "Comforting. They helped me with the idea of what was to come. They told me they were proud of me, and they all looked happy. It really proved that death was just another adventure."

Lastly, Dudley asked, "Umm, would it be possible for me to use your invisibility cloak sometime?"

Harry just laughed, and finally was able to say, "Sure Big D, as long as I get it back. It is a Deathly Hallow after all. Plus I use it a lot."

Dudley just smiled at that. After that he left and went to his room.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione smiled at each other. They couldn't believe that it was over. It seemed odd to all of them. Fighting Voldemort had been a big part of all of their lives. After talking a bit amongst themselves the threesome finally fell asleep.

Harry woke up in the morning with Aunt Petunia shaking him awake. He didn't want to go make breakfast, so he just rolled over. She shook him again, so Harry finally got up and walked to the highly unused formal room.

Harry was slightly confused. Why would Aunt Petunia bring him here?

Eventually she spoke up. She said, "Harry, I want to say…. I'm sorry. All those years I treated you like that. I knew it was wrong, but you reminded me of her. I loved her. I really did, but I despised her at times. She was everything that I wasn't. She was always loved more by my family. Being a witch was like a being a god to my parents. I hated magic, because it made my parents love Lily more than they loved me. Magic made me become second best to my sister. I despised it because of that. That's why I treated you like I did. I knew that you would be a wizard, and I hated you for it. I made sure that Dudley was treated better than you were. Eventually my hate for magic turned into guilt. That was when you saved Dudley. I knew that magic wasn't horrible because of that. I knew that you were kind, and even though Dudley was always mean to you, you saved him."

Aunt Petunia was practically crying now. But she continued, "Snape probably showed you the memory of that letter he found. I wanted desperately to be important to my parents like Lily was. I tried to contact Dumbledore, and I begged him to make me a witch like Lily. I was humiliated when they found out."

Harry smiled at her. And then he said, "I see we have one thing in common, our hatred of Severus Snape. I don't hate what he did, but I hate how he treated me. I am also in awe of his bravery though. He helped our side very much for my mom."

Aunt Petunia just said, "I still hate him. He was horrible to me, and to Lily, and to…you."

Harry smiled, and he gave Aunt Petunia a rather awkward hug. Then he walked out of the room, and began to make breakfast for everyone. He didn't use magic today, and he just reveled in the manual labor.

The rest of the week passed quickly. The Dursleys didn't talk to Harry very much, but often he would notice them smiling his way. Even Uncle Vernon would grudgingly smile at the threesome. Harry figured Aunt Petunia told him to.

A few wizards came to the Dursleys' house, and they knocked on the door. They asked to see the boy who lived. Harry quickly turned the praising people away, and he put protections around the house to keep unwanted wizards away.

Dudley looked at him curiously every time that he turned someone away. Finally he asked, "Why don't you like the attention?"

Harry groaned, "It's too much. I have always hated it. I would much rather just be Harry Potter. I don't want people to know me just because of my fame. It doesn't help that I am just about the most famous wizard in our world at the moment."

Dudley continued to look at him with a confused look. Finally he said, "That's another reason why you are infinitely better than I am. I would enjoy the fame. I would ask for it. I always wanted attention when I was a kid. I wanted everyone to notice me. That's why I beat everyone up."

Dudley was now looking at the ground. He had a guilty look on his face.

Harry had guessed this a while ago, but he still didn't know what to say to this vulnerable Dudley. Harry was still getting used to him being muscular rather than whale-like. He actually had a well toned body now. Harry guessed that the hiding diet had something to do with it.

When the two week mark finally came, Harry, Ron, and Hermione told the Dursleys that they were leaving. Uncle Vernon looked relieved. He felt much better. He had been having a hard time with everyone being nice to Harry and his freak friends.

Aunt Petunia and Dudley on the other hand looked slightly sad. They had spent the past two weeks learning a lot about the wizarding world. Harry had showed them his old pictures, and Hermione had happily explained many of the wizarding textbooks to them. They had seemed genuinely interested in some of the topics.

On the morning of their departure, Dudley asked him, "When will you come back Harry?"

Harry shrugged and replied, "I don't know Big D. I may never come back. This house has a lot of bad memories for me. I always dreaded coming here. Actually, I preferred fighting Voldemort to staying here. I was able to be myself when fighting Voldemort. Here I had to keep everything a secret, and clean, and be subject to abuse."

Dudley winced at this. Harry noticed that he felt bad for his actions. And he said, "We can keep in touch Big D. Maybe someday I will see you again, but for now, I need to stay away from this house. I have forgiven you, but I just can't stand to be in this place. The memories are too fresh."

Dudley just nodded.

The threesome said their final goodbyes, and they apparated back to the burrow.


End file.
